Unfinished Business
by SophieAndSeanAreMizzies
Summary: Our story is basically an Eponine - Enjolras romance, or 'Enjonine' as Mizzies call it. Chapters 1-5 are our version of the events at the barricade as seen in the Les Mis movie/musical. Chapters 6-8 tell of an exciting escape and some romantic moments. I would best describe our fanfic as a "Romantic- Adventure-Dramatic-Comedy." Comedy? Yes!


"UNFINISHED BUSINESS"

(From a rp by Sophie and Sean D.)

(Transcribed into a novella by Sean D.)  
Completed in October, 2014.

Author's Note

The following 11,000 word novella is the transcription of an rp by Sophie and me, which we worked on for seven weeks last summer. It was logical that I write the transcription since, many years ago, I'd written three novels in the Romance genre.

Doing an rp together, I soon found out, was a very different experience than writing a novel by myself. I no longer had total control of the plot. The unexpected twists thrown at me by my writing partner were both thrilling and inspiring.

To those of you who knew of our 'project,'  
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your kind words of encouragement. I'd forgotten just how much time and effort went into a short piece such as this. I believe everyone here is a writer at various stages of development. And no doubt you've already learned the 'secret' to good writing...first you write your story...then you re-write it...then you re-write again. You look at it and say "ahh, it's finished." Then you start to read it and say 'NOPE!' And so you write it again!...when you finally reach the stage where the thought of it makes you want to pull your hair out (in my case I don't have much to work with), then just possibly, you might be done...for now! In fact, Sophie and I are still editing and re-editing our story as we post!  
Along with this feeling comes an incredible desire to share your work with others...so, that's what we're doing.

CHAPTER 1

With a loud crash, a piano smashed tunefully to the street just a couple of feet in front of a man with disheveled, black hair. The man was sipping a bottle of wine. He almost fell over backwards.

"Mon Dieu!" He shook his fist at the offending window. "Regardez!" Look out. What are you trying to do?" He pointed at the crumpled piano. "Kill me before the battle has even begun?"

Eponine snickered. She was standing fifteen feet away. Thankfully he hadn't been hurt. He looked comical as he stood there fussing and fuming.

Another one of Les Amis, as they called themselves, sauntered up to him.

Eponine strained to hear their conversation. People were leaning out their windows shouting encouragement. Household items were being tossed onto the street to aid in the fight for freedom. And adding to all this racket, men were wedging these items together to form a barricade.

"Well, Grantaire, perhaps if you looked where you were going, this kind of thing wouldn't happen so often."

Grantaire swatted at him. "Bah! You are lucky, Combeferre. These things never happen to you."

Eponine smiled. They were just bickering comrades. A light-hearted moment in a place that soon would see a life and death struggle.

She took a deep breath. Such a beautiful day. The afternoon sun in a cloudless sky had warmed the Rue de la Chanvrerie. It was June. The summer's heat would soon bake the cobblestones. Perhaps the weather was a good omen for those who were fighting tyranny.

(2)

A man in an impressive red jacket and black slacks strode up to them. The red sash around his waist was quite striking. He had curly, blond hair, a strong chin and rugged, manly features. This must be their leader, Enjolras. Gavroche, her little brother, was very much a part of this revolution. He regularly attended the meetings of Les Amis and ran errands for them. As a gatherer of secret information, he apparently was indispensable. He often spoke of Enjolras.

The leader frowned at his men. "How can you two be so laid-back at a time like this? You should be helping with the barricade."

The men said nothing. They just stared at the ground.

A few seconds later, Grantaire raised his head and shrugged. "Eh bien, Mon Capitaine. I was almost the first casualty of our war." He shook his head and pouted. "Poor Grantaire." He pointed at the offending musical instrument. "Death by piano."

Enjolras glared at him. He pointed to the barricade. With hands on his hips, he watched his men reach their destination.  
"And get rid of that bottle!"

Very impressive. Clearly a leader. Enjolras was now heading in her direction with a scowl on his face. No doubt searching for others not doing their duty.

Enough of him. Eponine scanned the barricade. Marius was nowhere to be seen.

Continuing her search, she took a few steps forward, while swiveling her head. "Ouch!" Eponine spun sideways. She'd stumbled over a small, wooden box someone had hidden under a blanket.

Luckily, the outstretched arms of Enjolras  
were waiting for her. "There, I've got you, mademoiselle."

(3)

He'd spoken so calmly, it sounded like ladies threw themselves at him all the time. No wonder. His chest felt like granite. The arms that encircled her were strong but gentle.

She stammered at him. "Pardonez-moi,  
m-m-monsieur. Sometimes I can be quite  
c-c-clumsy."

"Oui." His face showed little emotion. No doubt he had a lot on his mind. He released her after he'd made sure she'd regained her balance.

Enjolras glanced around, then gave her a penetrating stare. "You should get out of here, mademoiselle. Haven't you heard? We're in the middle of a revolution."

Of course she'd heard about it. What a silly question. When Marius treated her like a child, she'd pout and use one of her favorite phrases. But tonight, 'there's lots of things I know,' didn't seem right. She'd just met this man. He might be easily offended.

Eponine took a deep breath to calm her temper. "Why, yes, monsieur. I wish to be a part of it." She pointed at a boy planting two red flags atop the barricade. He looked quite dashing with his blond curls, blue jacket and grey slacks. "My brother is already part of your...army."

Enjolras shook his head and pursed his lips. "If you insist. Please go to the cafe with the other ladies. They'll teach you some basic first aid."

Hmph! She'd be the one teaching them. Eponine had patched up lots of her father's friends after they'd tangled with the law. Of course, Enjolras couldn't have known that. As a leader, he was merely giving her a job that would ensure her safety.

He stood there, looking over at the barricade, waiting for her response. Enjolras seemed like a man of great passion. A very handsome man of great passion. Lunging to grab her had messed up his magnificent, curly hair.

(4)

"Excusez-moi, monsieur. I've messed up your hair." She reached out and brushed back a lock from his eyes.

Eponine sighed. She'd longed to do that to Marius. But now that would be impossible. He'd already declared himself to Cosette. Last night, Eponine's solitary walk in the rain had convinced her of the truth. In the past, she'd only been pretending that Marius could be her lover.

Enjolras stood there frowning. "Mademoiselle, what are you doing?"

She didn't answer.

He began muttering to himself.

What a strange reaction. Surely dozens of girls had run their fingers through his hair. Could it be that this beautiful man had never made time for romance? Perhaps his quest for freedom had totally consumed him.

He raised his chin. "Eh bien, what is your name, mademoiselle?" He put his hand on her shoulder.

It was warm and reassuring. His manner had softened. She smiled shyly. Imagine. Brushing his hair had opened some sort of gateway between them.

"My name is Eponine, monsieur." Why had Marius never looked at her like that? Now she really wanted to be part of this battle. "Marius is"... she fought back the tears..." a good friend of mine." Just a friend.

He nodded. "Oui...Marius."

Enjolras began to study her closer. Eponine looked down at her clothes. She'd worn her olive scarf and sleeveless top. The top had a couple of holes in it. Her brown, flaring skirt had a small rip in it. Oh dear. At least her brown belt with the brass buckle was fairly new. She wrinkled her nose. Not really a good outfit to wear when meeting handsome strangers.

(5)

When she lifted her head, he was still staring at her. His face seemed to have a look of compassion on it. Those beautiful, blue eyes were so hypnotic, she had to look away. Maybe he'd seen the loneliness in her eyes. Felt her pain. And possibly her heartbreak.

Enjolras almost began dancing on the spot. "Mademoiselle Eponine, I have much to do. Excuse me." He turned quickly and marched toward the barricade. "You need to go to the cafe now," he called out over his shoulder.

"Oui, monsieur." Mmm. The ladies and their first-aid course. For now, she'd obey him. If she stayed, he might be angry. He might even lock her up for her own safety...or something silly like that.

Eponine spent the next few hours at The Cafe Musain. The ladies were quite nice to her. Of course, she was able to help their leader teach first-aid to the others. And she even picked up some useful tips for herself. A free meal was also provided. Roast beef. A rare treat. Magnifique.

Once the sun had set, she opened the front door and peered outside. She'd need to creep back to the barricade. Stumbling into Enjolras again would be bad. He'd see her sooner or later, but later was better.

She shouted up the stairs. "Merci, ladies. A bientot. See you soon."

Voices answered her from the room upstairs. "Au revoir, Eponine. It was nice meeting you. Glad you could join us."

She walked toward the barricade. It was a fairly mild evening. A full moon had been shining this week, but tonight's fast-moving clouds would limit its glow. Possibly a storm was brewing.

Flickering light from storefront lanterns plus a few torches glowing on the barricade illuminated the darkness. It was easy to see where she was going. A bonfire was blazing about twelve feet from the barricade. It must have been built while she was in the cafe. No doubt it would take any chill away in the early morning hours.

No sign of Enjolras. Good. She'd go over and admire the fire for a few minutes. Breathing deeply, she savored its warmth and hypnotic beauty.

The serenity of the camp was suddenly shattered by the sound of soldiers marching toward them. Men grabbed their muskets as Enjolras shouted his orders.

Author's note

Well, there was chapter one!

We have a lot more coming, so if you enjoyed the first chapter, please comment or favorite! We are open to kind suggestions and it would mean a lot to us to know if you enjoyed it!

Thanks for reading and we will post chapter two as soon as possible!


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